Passenger seat

ABSTRACT

Described are passenger seat assemblies including spreaders ( 18 ) with a transitional region having a forward surface with a radius of curvature of about 3.5 to 3.7 inches and an aft surface with an angular profile configured so that the aft surface is located forward of a plane formed by a surface of the at least one seat back ( 12 ) in a fully upright position. The passenger seat assemblies also include leg assemblies ( 22  with a forward leg portion having a forward surface that is substantially aligned with a forward base frame tube, and an aft surface with an angular profile having a shape of an “r.”

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority benefits from U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/587,224, filed on Jan. 17, 2012,entitled Z100 PASSENGER SEAT (“the '224 application”), and U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/635,366, filed on Apr. 19, 2012,entitled Z100 PASSENGER SEAT (3) (“the '366 application”). The '224 and'366 applications are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties bythis reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to passenger seats or the like.

BACKGROUND

Common carriers, such as passenger airlines, bus lines, train lines, andpassenger vehicles frequently convey substantial numbers of passengerssimultaneously. In many instances, the number of seats within a givenspace may limit the amount space available for each passenger to such adegree that passengers have very little personal space. For example, apassenger's personal space between the passenger's knees and thepassenger seat located forward of that passenger may be diminished by areclining seat back of the next-forward passenger seat and/or by theshape of an aft surface the passenger seat below the reclining seatback.

In order to provide as much room as possible for the passenger's kneesin the diminished space, some passenger seats have been modified so thatthe seat backs do not recline. The reclining seat back has traditionallyimpeded into the passenger's knee space because seat backs traditionallypivot near the bottom seat cushion (as indicated by reference number 110in FIG. 4). While this option may ensure that the passenger's knee spaceis preserved, the passenger's reclining comfort has been sacrificed.

Furthermore, in many cases, the passenger seat comprises leg assembliesthat are configured to require a substantial amount of space below thepassenger seat, thus minimizing the amount of space available for apassenger's feet and/or baggage.

Thus, it may be desirable to provide a passenger seat assembly thatprovides a passenger with as much space as possible for a passenger'sknees, feet, and/or baggage, while still allowing the passenger somereclining and/or sitting comfort.

SUMMARY

The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “thepresent invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly toall of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below.Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit thesubject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of thepatent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patentare defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is ahigh-level overview of various aspects of the invention and introducessome of the concepts that are further described in the DetailedDescription section below. This summary is not intended to identify keyor essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intendedto be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. The subject matter should be understood by reference toappropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any orall drawings and each claim.

Embodiments of the present invention include passenger seat assemblycomprising at least two spreaders, each spreader comprising an upperportion and a lower portion separated by a transitional region, at leastone seat back comprising a central panel and a pair of extensionscoupled to a lower end of the central panel, wherein the pair ofextensions are pivotally coupled the upper portions of the at least twospreaders, a base structure comprising a forward base frame tube and anaft base frame tube, wherein the forward base frame tube and the aftbase frame tube are coupled to the lower portions of the at least twospreaders, and at least two leg assemblies, each leg assembly comprisinga forward leg portion coupled to the forward base frame tube and the aftbase frame tube.

In some embodiments, the transitional region of each spreader furthercomprises a forward surface having a radius of curvature of about3.5-3.7 inches and an aft surface having an angular profile configuredso that the aft surface is located forward of a plane formed by asurface of the at least one seat back in a fully upright position.

In other embodiments, a forward surface of the forward leg portion maybe substantially aligned with a forward edge of the forward base frametube, and an aft surface of the forward leg portion comprises an angularprofile having a shape of an “r.”

In yet other embodiments, the forward base frame tube may be located ata lower height than the aft base frame tube so that an upper end of theforward leg portion has a downward pitch in a forward direction betweenthe aft base frame tube and the forward base frame tube.

At least two arm rests may be coupled to the upper portions of the atleast two spreaders, wherein the seat back is configured to pivotrelative to the spreaders adjacent the location where the at least twoarm rests are coupled to the upper portions.

Certain embodiments of the leg assembly further comprise a load-limitingstrut.

At least one seat pan may be coupled to the forward base frame tube andthe aft base frame tube, wherein the at least one seat pan may comprisea deep contour located between the at least two spreaders and/or a doorthat provides access to an In-Flight Entertainment equipment stowedbelow the at least one seat pan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a passenger seat assemblyaccording to certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the passenger seat assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the passenger seat assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the passenger seat assembly of FIG. 1superimposed on an outline of a conventional passenger seat assemblyshown in broken lines.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a leg assembly of the passenger seat assemblyof FIG. 1 with an outline of a leg assembly of a conventional passengerseat assembly superimposed thereon and shown in broken lines.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a spreader of the passenger seat assembly ofFIG. 1 with an outline of a spreader of a conventional passenger seatassembly superimposed thereon and shown in broken lines.

FIG. 7 is front perspective view of the passenger seat assembly of FIG.1 showing a seat pan with a door.

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the passenger seat assembly ofFIG. 7.

FIG. 9 another partial perspective view of the passenger seat assemblyof FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of an arm rest of the passengerseat assembly of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is describedhere with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but thisdescription is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of theclaims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, mayinclude different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction withother existing or future technologies. This description should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among orbetween various steps or elements except when the order of individualsteps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.

The described embodiments of the invention provide passenger seatassemblies. While the passenger seat assemblies are discussed for usewith aircraft seats, they are by no means so limited. Rather,embodiments of the passenger seat assemblies may be used in passengerseats or other seats of any type or otherwise as desired.

FIGS. 1-10 illustrate embodiments of a passenger seat assembly 10. Thepassenger seat assembly 10 comprises at least one seat back 12, at leastone seat pan 14, at least two arm rests 16, at least two spreaders 18, abase structure 20, and at least two leg assemblies 22.

The base structure 20 is formed by a forward base frame tube 24 and anaft base frame tube 26 joined by the spreaders 18, which extend alongeach side of the seat pan 14. The seat pan 14 is coupled to the forwardbase frame tube 24 and spreaders 18, and is configured to support abottom seat cushion 28. The seat pan 14 may be formed of materialsincluding but not limited to aluminum, stainless steel, other metallicmaterials, composite materials, or other similar materials. In someembodiments, as best illustrated in FIG. 3, the seat pan 14 may have adeep contour located between the spreaders 18, which provides additionalspace for a thicker seat cushion 28. In other embodiments, asillustrated in FIGS. 7-9, the seat pan 14 may have a substantiallyplanar shape that spans across the surfaces of the base frame tubes 24,26.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 7-9, the seat pan 14 may comprisea door 30. The door 30 may be coupled to the seat pan 14 to provideaccess to In-Flight Entertainment (“IFE”) equipment 32 stowed below theseat pan 14.

The base structure 20 is supported by the leg assemblies 22. Each legassembly 22 comprises a base member 34, a forward leg portion 36, and aload-limiting strut 38. The forward leg portion 36 may be formed ofaluminum, stainless steel, other metallic materials, compositematerials, or other similar materials. The forward leg portion 36 mayalso be formed using a unitary web-like construction to provide asuitable strength to support the passenger seat assembly 10, while alsominimizing the weight of the component.

An upper end 40 of the load-limiting strut 38 is coupled to an aft end42 of the forward leg portion 36. Track fitting 44 is coupled to a lowerforward end 46 of the base member 34, and track fitting 48 is coupled toa lower aft end 50 of the base member 34. The track fittings 44, 48 areconfigured to couple to secure the passenger seat assembly 10 to a track(not shown) mounted to the floor of a vehicle, such as a cabin floor ofan aircraft or other suitable vehicle.

The load-limiting strut 38 is configured to elongate and absorb energywhen the passenger seat assembly 10 pitches forward during a crash. Thedetails of the load-limiting strut 38 and its energy-absorbing operationare shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,492, the entire contentsof which is incorporated herein by reference.

An upper end 58 of the forward leg portion 36 comprises apertures 60through which the base frame tubes 24, 26 are inserted to couple the legassembly 22 to the base structure 20.

The forward leg portion 36 further comprises an aperture 62 throughwhich a stabilizing bar 64 is inserted. In certain embodiments, thestabilizing bar 64 is configured to extend the length of the basestructure 20. At least one end 66 of the stabilizing bar 64 is shaped toextend in an aft direction and couple to a corresponding end of the aftbase frame tube 26, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. A second end 68 may beshaped to couple to a second corresponding end of the aft base frametube 26, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. However, one of ordinary skill inthe relevant art will understand that both ends 66, 68 may be configuredto couple to both ends of the forward base frame tube 24, aft base frametube 26, a combination of both, or any other suitable location.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-5, the forward leg portion 36 isshaped to increase the amount of space available for stowage and/or apassenger's feet below the passenger seat assembly 10, as compared tothe stowage/foot space provided by conventional leg assemblies. Forexample, in these embodiments, a forward surface 70 of the forward legportion 36 is substantially vertical and aligned with a forward edge ofthe forward base frame tube 24. The upper end 58 of the forward legportion 36 has a downward pitch in a forward direction between the baseframe tubes 24, 26. As a result of these changes to the configuration ofthe forward surface 70 and upper end 58, an aft surface 72 of theforward leg portion 36 has an angular profile, as opposed to alinear/curvilinear profile of conventional leg assemblies, so that theaft surface 72 has a profile that substantially resembles the shape ofan “r.” The changes to the aft surface 72 increase the amount ofpotential stowage and/or foot space area below the passenger seatassembly 10 by up to about 2 inches in a forward direction, as comparedto the design of the conventional passenger seat shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

To determine the most efficient configuration of the leg assembly 22, aseries of performance tests, commonly referred to as “16 g tests,” wereperformed. An aircraft seat passes the 16 g test when the seat remainsattached to an airframe after the specified force has been applied. Inthis case, the results of the 16 g test demonstrated that shifting thedesign of the forward leg portion 36 forward with respect to the basestructure 20 provided sufficient structural support for the passengerseat assembly 10, while also maximizing space below the passenger seatassembly 10 and minimizing the amount of materials and weight of thecomponent.

In some embodiments, life vest boxes 74 are coupled to the forward baseframe tube 24 and positioned between the forward leg portions 36.

The spreaders 18 may be formed of aluminum, stainless steel, othermetallic materials, composite materials, or other similar materials. Thespreaders 18 may also be formed using a unitary web-like construction toprovide a suitable strength to support the passenger seat assembly 10,while also minimizing the weight of the component. Each spreader 18includes a substantially vertical upper portion 76 and a substantiallyhorizontal lower portion 78. A curved transitional region 80 is locatedbetween the upper portion 76 and the lower portion 78. In someembodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the spreader 18 comprisesapertures 82 in the lower portion 78 through which the base frame tubes24, 26 are inserted so as to couple the spreader 18 to the basestructure 20.

In certain embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6, the spreader 18further comprises an aperture 84 in the upper portion 76 that isconfigured to couple to a pivot shaft 86, which is described in moredetail below. In certain embodiments, a bumper 88 having a shapeconfigured to substantially conform to the shape of the spreader 18 ispositioned adjacent the spreader 18 located at each end of the passengerseat assembly 10.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the spreader 18 is shaped soas to increase a knee space region 90 of the passenger seated in thenext aft passenger seat assembly 10, as compared to the knee spaceregion provided by conventional spreaders. For example, a forwardsurface 92 of the transitional region 80 has a radius of curvature ofabout 3.5-3.7 inches, which is up to about 2 to 2.2 inches less than theradius of curvature of a conventional spreader, so that a transitionpoint 94 between the transitional region 80 and the upper portion 76 islocated forward of a conventional transition point 96. In addition, anaft surface 98 of the transitional region 80 has an angular profile, asopposed to a curvilinear profile of conventional spreaders, so that theaft surface 98 is located forward of and/or substantially aligned with aplane formed by a surface of the seat back 12 in a fully uprightposition 124, which is described in more detail below. The changes tothe inner radius of curvature of the forward surface 92 and the profileshape of the aft surface 98 increase the knee space region 90 by up toabout 2 inches in a forward direction, as compared to the design of theconventional passenger seat shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

To improve the comfort of the passenger seated in passenger seatassembly 10, the position of the forward base frame tube 24 is loweredrelative to the conventional location, as illustrated in FIG. 6, so thatthe lower portion 78 has an upper surface 100 with a downward pitch in aforward direction. The forward/downward pitch of the upper surface 100compensates for the smaller radius of curvature in the forward surface92. The seat pan 14 may also be configured with a downward pitch in aforward direction that substantially aligns with the shape of the uppersurface 100.

The seat back 12 may be formed of materials including but not limited toaluminum, stainless steel, other metallic materials, compositematerials, or other similar materials. In some embodiments, such as theembodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 8-9, the seat back 12 comprises acentral panel 102 and a pair of extensions 104. Each extension 104 islocated at a lower end 106 of the central panel 102.

In some embodiments, such as the embodiments best shown in FIG. 3, eachextension 104 is configured to pivotally couple the seat back 12 to thepivot shaft 86, which is in turn coupled to the spreader 18. Asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the seat back 12 pivots relative to thepivot shaft 86 at a high pivot location 108, which is located at aboutthe same height as the arm rests 16. This high pivot location 108 islocated above a traditional pivot location 110, where the traditionalpivot location 110 is positioned closer to the seat pan 14. With thepivot shaft 86 located at the high pivot location 108, the seat back 12is configured to pivot adjacent a lumbar region of a passenger's back,as opposed to the traditional pivot location 110 adjacent a pelvicregion of the passenger's back. If the high pivot location 108 were usedin conjunction with a traditional seat back 12, a portion of the seatback 12 located below the high pivot location 108 would intrude into apassenger's back when the seat back 12 is reclined. To avoid thisintrusion, the embodiments of the seat back 12 shown in FIGS. 3 and 8-9are configured so that a support structure 112 extends from the lowerend 106 between and aft of the extensions 104.

In some embodiments, such as the embodiments best illustrated in FIGS. 3and 8-9, a quadrant arm 114 is utilized to couple the seat back 12 tothe base structure 20. In these embodiments, the quadrant arm 114 iscoupled to the extension 104 via a mechanical fastener, such as a screw,bolt, rivet, or other suitable mechanical fastening device. The quadrantarm 114 may be formed of materials including but not limited toaluminum, stainless steel, other metallic materials, compositematerials, or other similar materials. In some embodiments, such as theembodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and 8-9, the quadrant arm 114 has an angledshape as needed for the particular coupling arrangement between the seatback 12 and the base structure 20. In other embodiments, the quadrantarm 114 may be substantially straight.

A lower end 118 of the quadrant arm 114 may be configured to couple to arecline lock 116. In these embodiments, the recline lock 116 ispositioned between the seat pan 14 and the spreader 18. In otherembodiments, the recline lock 116 may be centrally positioned aft of orbelow the seat pan 14. One of ordinary skill in the relevant art willunderstand that any suitable location for the recline lock 116 may beused.

In some embodiments, the quadrant arm 114 may be coupled to the lowerend 106 of the seat back 12, where the seat back 12 does not include theextension 104. In other embodiments, the extension 104 may be elongatedto couple to the recline lock 116 directly without the use of thequadrant arm 114. One of ordinary skill in the relevant art willunderstand that any suitable combination of the quadrant arm 114 and/orthe extension 104 may be used to couple the seat back 12 to the reclinelock 116. The recline lock 116 may be a locking gas spring. In someembodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 8-9, the recline lock 116 may becoupled directly to the spreader 18 through the use of a trunnion 120.In other embodiments, the recline lock 116 may be coupled to the aftbase frame tube 26.

A strut assembly 122 may be used to limit deflection of the seat back 12in some embodiments, depending on the composition and torsion resistanceof the seat back 12. The amount of torsion resistance of the seat back12 is measured in a Head-Impact-Criteria (HIC) test that uses ananthropometric test dummy (“ATD”) in the 16 g test crash of passengerseat assemblies 10 in series. When the ATD hits one of the passengerseat assemblies 10, the seat back 12 may twist in some instances whenthe seat back 12 is fixed on one side (i.e., where the seat back 12 iscoupled to the recline lock 116).

In the embodiments where the recline lock 116 is centrally locatedrelative to the seat pan 14, the use of a strut assembly 122 may beunnecessary or two strut assemblies 122 may be needed on either side ofthe recline lock 116, depending on the composition and torsionresistance of the seat back 12. One of ordinary skill in the relevantart will understand that any suitable location and number of the strutassemblies 122 may be used. In other embodiments, a stiffer material maybe used to form the seat back 12 or a torsion tube may be used so thatthe strut assembly 122 is not required.

In some embodiments where the strut assembly 122 is used, such as theembodiments best illustrated in FIGS. 8-9, another quadrant arm 114and/or another extension 104 may be included to couple the seat back 12to the strut assembly 122. One of ordinary skill in the relevant artwill understand that the total number of the additional quadrant arms114 and/or additional extensions 104 used, as well as their position,may depend on the number of the strut assemblies 122 used and theirpositions.

The strut assembly 122 is configured to have the exact stroke as therecline lock 116. Thus, when the seat back 12 is reclined, the strutassembly 122 and the recline lock 116 stop simultaneously, thusproviding a rigid support for a fully upright position 124 and a fullyreclined position 126 of the passenger seat assembly 10, as shown inFIG. 1.

Furthermore, by locating the pivot shaft 86 in the high pivot location108, as opposed to the traditional pivot location 110, the seat back 12provides additional comfort to the passenger seated in the passengerseat assembly 10 by allowing some recline from the fully uprightposition 124 without impeding the knee space region 90 of the passengerseated aft of the passenger seat assembly 10.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 3-4, each arm rest 16 is coupled to theupper portion 76 of the spreader 18 adjacent the location of theaperture 84 where the seat back 12 is pivotally coupled to the spreaders18. A lower surface 128 of each arm rest 16 is shaped to taper upward ina forward direction. The tapered shape of the arm rest 16 increases theamount of space available below the arm rests 16 for a passenger's legs,as opposed to conventional arm rest shapes illustrated in FIG. 4. Thetapered shape of the arm rest 16 also smoothes the transition to thefront edge of the arm rest 16, which also improves the comfort of thearm rest 16 when the lower surface 128 contacts a passenger's leg. Asillustrated in FIG. 10, the arm rest 16 may include power control units(“PCUs”) 130 to connect personal electronic devices to the IFE so that apassenger may utilize the IFE equipment 32 to view and/or listen toitems stored on the personal electronic devices. The arm rest 16 mayalso include remote jack units (“RJUs”) 132, which may be a smallfootprint headphone connector. The RJUs 132 may provide a cost effectivemeans of connecting active noise cancellation headphones. The PCUs 130and RJUs 132 may be integrated into the arm rest 16 in a compactarrangement, as illustrated in FIG. 10.

The seat back 12 profile is shaped to taper to a smaller thickness at anupper end 134 of the seat back 12. The thinner profile may beaccomplished through a smaller thickness of the seat back 12 adjacentthe upper end 134 and/or through use of a thinner shroud 136 adjacentthe upper end 134. A slim profile tray table 140 may be used inconjunction with the slim seat back 12 profile to further improve theamount of space available to a passenger seated aft of the passengerseat assembly 10.

The seat back 12 may also be equipped with an adjustable headrest 138,wherein the headrest 138 may be configured to provide adjustable sidesupport, as well as vertical adjustment to accommodate passengers ofdifferent heights.

The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, anddescribing embodiments of the present invention. Further modificationsand adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilledin the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit ofthe invention.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A passenger seat assembly comprising: (a)at least two spreaders, each spreader comprising an upper portion and alower portion separated by a transitional region; (b) at least one seatback comprising a central panel and a pair of extensions coupled to alower end of the central panel, wherein the pair of extensions arepivotally coupled the upper portions of the at least two spreaders; (c)a base structure comprising a forward base frame tube and an aft baseframe tube, wherein the forward base frame tube and the aft base frametube are coupled to the lower portions of the at least two spreaders;and (d) at least two leg assemblies, each leg assembly comprising aforward leg portion coupled to the forward base frame tube and the aftbase frame tube; wherein the transitional region of each spreadercomprises a forward surface having a radius of curvature of about 3.5 to3.7 inches and an aft surface having an angular profile configured sothat the aft surface is located forward of a plane formed by a surfaceof the at least one seat back in a fully upright position.
 2. Thepassenger seat assembly of claim 1, wherein each leg assembly furthercomprises a load-limiting strut.
 3. The passenger seat assembly of claim1, wherein a forward surface of the forward leg portion is substantiallyaligned with a forward edge of the forward base frame tube, and an aftsurface of the forward leg portion comprises an angular profile having ashape of an “r.”
 4. The passenger seat assembly of claim 1, wherein theforward base frame tube is located at a lower height than the aft baseframe tube so that an upper end of the forward leg portion has adownward pitch in a forward direction between the aft base frame tubeand the forward base frame tube.
 5. The passenger seat assembly of claim1, further comprising at least two arm rests coupled to the upperportions of the at least two spreaders, wherein the seat back isconfigured to pivot relative to the spreaders adjacent the locationwhere the at least two arm rests are coupled to the upper portions. 6.The passenger seat assembly of claim 1, further comprising at least oneseat pan coupled to the forward base frame tube and the aft base frametube.
 7. The passenger seat assembly of claim 6, wherein the at leastone seat pan comprises a deep contour located between the at least twospreaders.
 8. The passenger seat assembly of claim 6, wherein the atleast one seat pan comprises a door that provides access to an In-FlightEntertainment equipment stowed below the at least one seat pan.
 9. Apassenger seat assembly comprising: (a) at least two spreaders, eachspreader comprising an upper portion and a lower portion separated by atransitional region; (b) at least one seat back comprising a centralpanel and a pair of extensions coupled to a lower end of the centralpanel, wherein the pair of extensions are pivotally coupled the upperportions of the at least two spreaders; (c) at least two arm restscoupled to the upper portions of the at least two spreaders, wherein theseat back is configured to pivot relative to the spreaders adjacent thelocation where the at least two arm rests are coupled to the upperportions; (d) a base structure comprising a forward base frame tube andan aft base frame tube, wherein the forward base frame tube and the aftbase frame tube are coupled to the lower portions of the at least twospreaders; and (e) at least two leg assemblies, each leg assemblycomprising a forward leg portion coupled to the forward base frame tubeand the aft base frame tube, wherein a forward surface of the forwardleg portion is substantially aligned with a forward edge of the forwardbase frame tube, and an aft surface of the forward leg portion comprisesan angular profile having a shape of an “r.”
 10. The passenger seatassembly of claim 9, wherein each leg assembly further comprises aload-limiting strut.
 11. The passenger seat assembly of claim 9, whereinthe transitional region of each spreader comprises a forward surfacehaving a radius of curvature of about 3.5 to 3.7 inches and an aftsurface having an angular profile configured so that the aft surface islocated forward of a plane formed by a surface of the at least one seatback in a fully upright position.
 12. The passenger seat assembly ofclaim 9, wherein the forward base frame tube is located at a lowerheight than the aft base frame tube so that an upper end of the forwardleg portion has a downward pitch in a forward direction between the aftbase frame tube and the forward base frame tube.
 13. The passenger seatassembly of claim 9, further comprising at least one seat pan coupled tothe forward base frame tube and the aft base frame tube.
 14. Thepassenger seat assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one seat pancomprises a deep contour located between the at least two spreaders. 15.The passenger seat assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one seatpan comprises a door that provides access to an In-Flight Entertainmentequipment stowed below the at least one seat pan.
 16. A passenger seatassembly comprising: (a) at least two spreaders, each spreadercomprising an upper portion and a lower portion separated by atransitional region; (b) at least one seat back comprising a centralpanel and a pair of extensions coupled to a lower end of the centralpanel, wherein the pair of extensions are pivotally coupled the upperportions of the at least two spreaders; (c) at least two arm restscoupled to the upper portions of the at least two spreaders, wherein theseat back is configured to pivot relative to the spreaders adjacent thelocation where the at least two arm rests are coupled to the upperportions; (d) a base structure comprising a forward base frame tube andan aft base frame tube, wherein the forward base frame tube and the aftbase frame tube are coupled to the lower portions of the at least twospreaders; (e) at least two leg assemblies, each leg assembly comprisinga forward leg portion coupled to the forward base frame tube and the aftbase frame tube, wherein the forward base frame tube is located at alower height than the aft base frame tube so that an upper end of theforward leg portion has a downward pitch in a forward direction betweenthe aft base frame tube and the forward base frame tube; and (f) atleast one seat pan coupled to the forward base frame tube and the aftbase frame tube, wherein the at least one seat pan comprises a deepcontour located between the at least two spreaders.
 17. The passengerseat assembly of claim 16, wherein each leg assembly further comprises aload-limiting strut.
 18. The passenger seat assembly of claim 16,wherein the transitional region of each spreader comprises a forwardsurface having a radius of curvature of about 3.5 to 3.7 inches and anaft surface having an angular profile configured so that the aft surfaceis located forward of a plane formed by a surface of the at least oneseat back in a fully upright position.
 19. The passenger seat assemblyof claim 16, wherein a forward surface of the forward leg portion issubstantially aligned with a forward edge of the forward base frametube, and an aft surface of the forward leg portion comprises an angularprofile having a shape of an “r.”
 20. The passenger seat assembly ofclaim 16, wherein the at least one seat pan comprises a door thatprovides access to an In-Flight Entertainment equipment stowed below theat least one seat pan.